A fuel efficient car is a great investment. With gas prices hovering around $4 per gallon, the cost of filling your tank is a significant consideration when it’s time to purchase a vehicle. That’s not the only benefit to buying a fuel efficient car, though.
Saving Money on Gas Whether you purchase a hybrid or a highly efficient gas-powered vehicle, you can save a significant amount of money by factoring in gas mileage before you purchase.
- For example, if you drive a vehicle that gets 15 miles to the gallon and drive 1,000 miles per month with gas at $4 per gallon, you will spend about $267 per month on gas.
- However, if you drive a fuel efficient vehicle that gets 30 miles per gallon, that cost will drop to under $135 per month; that’s a savings of $1,620 per year.
- If you choose a hybrid vehicle that can get as much as 50 miles per gallon, your gas cost drops to $80 per month. This results in a yearly savings of $2,244 over a vehicle that gets 15 miles per gallon.
That is a significant savings, particularly when you consider that most of us drive well over 1,000 miles per month. Wouldn’t you rather spend that money on a vacation than on gas?
Protecting the Environment The more gas your car uses, the more carbon dioxide it is releasing into the environment every time you drive it. You can reduce your carbon footprint and prevent global warming by choosing a highly efficient vehicle. Improving your gas efficiency by just five miles per gallon can reduce your greenhouse gas emissions by a whopping 17 tons over your vehicle’s lifetime.
Reducing Dependence on Foreign Oil Much of the oil that the United States imports from foreign countries is used to produce gas to fill your car’s tank. If you reduce your need for gas, we reduce our dependence on foreign oil. In addition, our dependence on foreign oil means that we are reliant on volatile, fluctuating gas prices. Choosing to cut our fuel consumption and use only the resources that are available domestically helps to stabilize the skyrocketing price of gas by reducing the chain of supply and demand.
You Can Vote with Your Wallet By putting your money where your mouth is and spending your hard-earned dollar on a vehicle that protects the earth and our national security, you are showing businesses and the government what matters to you. There is nothing that gets the attention of big business and the government like the dollar.
In addition, you are creating demand for eco-friendly products, which means an increased need for workers in that industry. You can vote with your dollar and shift the supply need from harmful, polluting industries to cleaner ones.
Kris Martin is the founder of consumer-car-reviews.com where they work to find the most up-to-date information on cars and trucks for people looking to buy a new or used vehicle. They share information on mileage, quality, and sustainability, offering readers advice on hybrid cars and car repairs to get the most possible life out of their vehicles.
